


The Kreideprinz and the Children of Light

by Albetoe0509



Category: Sky: Children of the Light (Video Game), 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Friendship, Gen, Homunculus Albedo (Genshin Impact), My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, Other, Platonic Relationships, Slice of Life, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:40:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28428696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Albetoe0509/pseuds/Albetoe0509
Summary: All Albedo wanted to summon is a butterfly from his easel but he got interrupted in the most volatile state and accidentally enters the Kingdom of Sky. Is he able to return to Teyvat?This fanfic takes place after the events of Dragonspine and before the Season of Dreams.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 107





	1. A mishap in art

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first crossover so hope you all enjoy reading this! I plan to focus more on Sky's lore and attributes rather than including combat in my work because I would like to project a journey between friendship from other worlds, instead of fighting bosses. By the way, there is angst :)

“For the next stage of my experiment to test your capabilities to withstand poison, here’s a list I have written for you to gather these ingredients found in various regions of Mondstadt, please do gather ten of each ingredient as this concoction is extremely difficult to brew and have its poisons extracted in the highest concentration.” Albedo said as he handed out a piece of paper to the Traveller and their companion, Paimon.

“Hey! Paimon thinks that you’re trying to let us do all of the hard work! Why don’t we get to see you busy with experiments every time you ask us for help?!” Paimon asked, with her arms crossed. 

“At least we don’t have to face countless papers filled with elaborated instructions and diagrams about brewing a potion.” The traveller replied, folding the paper and putting it into their pocket. 

“That is indeed true, plus these papers are normally too difficult for one without years of alchemy practice to understand, gathering ingredients might seem to be easier for you to handle as you are more experienced in exploring and combat to defend yourself against monsters. With the sword I gave you back in Dragonspine, its powers can assist you in fending them off.” Albedo nodded his head as he offered his explanation to his new friends.

After bidding the duo goodbye, the alchemist returned to his desk and arranged the papers needed for the concoction brewing. The ingredients will take some time for the traveller to gather, hence it might take them at least a week to return to his lab in the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius. Even though Albedo is proclaimed as a “Genius” by his colleagues, students, and the people of Mondstadt, he doesn’t let these compliments let down his alertness when it comes to brewing dangerous concoctions for research purposes.

‘These last batches of ingredients should be enough for a couple more practices, even though I have the antidote, I can’t allow the traveller to suffer the consequences if the effects of the concoction go wrong.’ 

Albedo thought to himself as he began to perform several test runs to brew the concoction deemed safe for human consumption for the next stage of his experiment to investigate the maximum potential of poison resistance of an outlander. 

Several hours went by as Albedo worked in his lab, finally managed to extract a poisonous potion yet its concentration is safe enough to not cause death after consumption, a perfect potion for his experiment. 

Albedo could have created several potions with different concentrations of poisons to test the traveller’s limits on poison resistance but his methods are rather unorthodox or known as “the methods only geniuses dare to come up and use” claimed by other Monstadtian alchemists, but the blond begs to differ when such statements enter his ears. 

He has his reasons to let his participant consume a strong concentration of potion in one serving. Instead of following the standard procedures of finding the minimum resistance, the alchemist chases after the truth of maximum capabilities being able to be withstood by a human being from another world outside of Teyvat, the traveller is the perfect specimen, how can he not let the opportunity to pass by?

Albedo let out a sigh of exhaustion as he stretched his arms out to provide temporary relief for his tired muscles while taking a glance at the grandfather clock at the corner of the lab. 

‘3 in the afternoon, it’s been 4 hours since I have worked on the concoction. I think it’s a perfect moment to head outside the city and draw the scenery of Springvale and Dragonspine’ 

He smiled a little and started packing up his art supplies and easel before exiting his lab. As he took a few steps away from the lab, he suddenly remembered something and put the sign stating “Experiment in process” back on the locked door. The sign is a secret code between him and his younger sister, Klee, which means “Come back later, Klee”. As much as he loves his sibling, he wouldn’t want Klee to risk his lab burning down to flames while he is away, especially since the concoction took him a lot of time and effort to complete. 

Mondstadt in the afternoon is in its peak of liveliness, as Albedo walked down the main street to his favourite drawing site, he can experience the true essence of the “Land of Wine and Song” through his five senses. 

The aroma of famous Mondstadtian dishes and Dandelion wine enters his nose as he walked by the tavern and restaurants, angelic voices of bards singing the deeds and tales of ancient heroes blessed his ears, the sight of happiness and colour in the street seemed to awaken his tired mind after hours of hard work, an occasional breeze that blows through his hair and causes a few loose strands to escape the braids, floating along the direction of the breeze. And that food sample of Sunshine splat he took when he walked by the Good Hunter? The savoury sensation of gently fried fish gradually fades away in his mouth, leaving him satisfied with the seasoning and texture of the dish.

Albedo soon reached his favourite drawing site, a large rock under some trees that provide shade from the afternoon heat and the strong rays of the sun, he set up his easel and balanced it on the boulder, making sure it doesn’t fall in midst of his drawing before taking his palette and brush then starting to paint the beautiful landscape outside of Mondstadt’s secure city walls.

‘Starting with a dash of the mixture from sky blue and white to resemble the outline of the highest summit of Dragonspine, I find its snow-capped peaks to be the most enjoyable feature for one’s desire to be in somewhere cooler compared to Mondstadt’s ever summer climate refreshing for the mind and soul.’ 

Albedo then mixed a small blob of grey with his current colour mixture to emphasise the shading of Dragonspine’s smaller mountains. 

‘However, the rest of the mountainous region is rather ordinary and requires a few but quick brushstrokes, after all the essence of a formidable mountain is its summit, not the lower peaks.’ He thought as he took several strokes to the painting to show the outline of an incomplete landscape drawing of Dragonspine.

“Voila!” Albedo exclaimed while tossing his brush aside, even though he can be overly passionate for something that sparks his interest, but he acts indifferent towards other details. This time, his attempt to paint a complete and detailed landscape of Dragonspine and Springvale ended up him only completing the summit and leaving the rest of the mountain with a bare outline of greyish blue. 

The alchemist was about to return to the headquarters to frame his drawing when a yellow butterfly landed on his easel. Albedo stopped his actions for a moment before retrieving his brush and slowly painted the characteristics of the yellow butterfly without scaring it away. After a few minutes, a simple yet complete painting of a butterfly is seen right under the incomplete drawing of Dragonspine. 

‘It wouldn’t hurt to summon this butterfly, I assume? Since it’s a complete painting and butterflies are harmless compared to that one incomplete Geovishap I summoned. Thinking about it, Sucrose and I never saw it after we returned to the city, I wonder if anyone found it by chance in the wild.’ Albedo thought as his left hand started to glow, preparing the power needed to summon the butterfly from the easel but at the same time, with enough distance away from the incomplete dragonspine illustration since he wanted to summon only the butterfly, not the entire mountain. 

“Arise, lifeless dust of the universe and that within thou art reborn--” He said out the words needed to summon the butterfly out of the easel, but the alchemist was about to complete the summoning when he got pushed into the easel by no one except his cursed Geovishap artistic creation which took Albedo’s drawing site as its territory. 

Albedo lets out a scream as he gets teleported into a mysterious world with a mountain similar to Dragonspine’s. 

‘What happened to the summoning?’  
‘How dare someone to interrupt me in the most volatile state?’  
‘Somebody please help me!’  
‘Oh my god, Klee still needs me! I need to get out of here but I’m trapped!’  
‘Oh sweet Lord Barbatos, where am I teleported to?!’ 

These thoughts rang repeatedly in the alchemist’s head as he got transported away from Teyvat into a lost kingdom in the skies. For a moment, Albedo felt his emotions of fear and rage getting control of his usual calm and collected nature before hitting face flat into the sand and passing out.


	2. Children of Light

Moments before our beloved white-haired prince fell into the sand and passed out, several children or “Skykids” were discussing at the coast whether they should assist a newborn to retrieve their lights and bring the lost spirits back to the stars. 

“I think we should help this moth, after all, we’re supposed to be kind and helpful to the newborns, who would dare to reject their candle? I mean look at them! They’re so adorable!” Ezra said, his hands cupping the newborn’s face, cooing over the adorableness. If one were to gaze into Ezra’s eyes at the moment, they can see sparkles in his eyes.

However, his older brother Ezekiel says otherwise. “I don’t think we should, since this moth has to know how to survive on its own at some point, they can’t rely on the veterans all the time. We also grew up the hard way, Ezra. I know you want to help this moth, but I’m sorry I have to disagree with you on this matter.” The twin replied, his hands placed on hips, being slightly impatient since it’s been fifteen minutes they have been talking over this issue, yet a definite conclusion has not been made. 

To help or not to help this newborn child of light? 

Ezra and Ezekiel, like most twins, both share similar heights, clothing, hairstyle, and even their talent in music. However, their personalities and instruments are the key factors to differentiate the twins if one has a keen eye. 

Ezra, the younger twin is carefree and bubbly, he enjoys spreading joy and laughter to those around him through his jokes; his older twin Ezekiel on the other hand, tends to isolate himself from large groups of people, but he can be caring and warm like Ezra if one is patient enough to let him get used to their presence for extended periods. Besides their personalities, their choice of musical instruments also differs in each twin. Ezekiel enjoys playing the guitar as he finds its notes gentle and romantic, Ezra prefers the mandolin since he loves exploring around different types of music and their respective culture, plus the mandolin is similar to the guitar. 

Farhan, the leader of the group sat on a rock, looking at the siblings’ discussion gradually growing into a rather heated argument, while the newborn still held their candle and watched the twins’ interactions with a confused look on their face. He glanced at them and sighed, it’s not the first time these two have argued over something trivial, and it won’t be the last either. 

‘Here we go again, but they will forget about it soon enough’ He thought while gazing into the horizon, calm waves crashing softly into the beach, accompanied by subtle but audible thunder roaring in the distance. The coastal scenery of the Isle reminded Farhan of the days where he was able to sight stars despite the cloudiest of nights, sadly the days were long gone, for too many stars are lost in the eternal cloudy fog ever since the destruction of the kingdom. 

Farhan can seem to be wise, cold, and intimidating at first, but one can see another side of him being reminiscent when he gets to gaze upon scenery across the realms. He also enjoys telling stories of ancient knowledge passed down to him by his guides back in his younger days to his troupe before they take a good night’s rest after a long day. Being the eldest among his friends, Farhan has to plan the safest yet the most efficient route to farm candles whenever they venture into dangerous realms, he has seen far too many lives being ended due to reckless actions and the lack of planning routes beforehand. With the firework staff in his hand, a lost child can easily find their way throughout the wasteland whenever they see a beam of light amidst the ruins and bones. 

It’s been a while since a newborn has arrived at the fallen kingdom, there used to be a lot of meteor showers to commemorate the birth of new saviours to save the light from the darkness that has caused the kingdom to its demise several centuries ago. But the number of stars gradually dwindled as time passed, now the most the heavens can deliver is around five shooting stars. 

On the other hand, another skykid called Mitzi was playing her newly bought harp despite the chaos unfolding behind her, the twins started to call each other names which only siblings would use in their arguments, the moth still being confused and Farhan letting out an occasional sigh of reminiscence as he continues to gazes at the horizon and indulges in the memories of his happier past. 

Her fingers started to pluck the strings as she hummed the melody softly, creating a contrast to the uncontrolled chaos. Mitzi has grown accustomed to the siblings’ arguments ever since she joined the troupe after being rescued by them when she ran out of flight energy and accidentally fell into the light-draining water in Golden Wasteland. Besides being the youngest child of the troupe, she is also the shortest one among them, due to the fact she drank a resize potion with the hopes of becoming taller but ended up with the shortest height instead. 

The second eldest, Aidan sat beside Mitzi as the latter continued playing a cheerful tune. He listened to the sweet notes from her harp as he set up a bonfire for warmth since the sea breeze in the Isle of Dawn is known to be chilly since the eternal fog arrived after the destruction of the kingdom. Despite being known as a good caretaker for the newborns and younger skykids, he was also known for his daredevil stunts back in his days as a flying athlete before he injured his right eye after being attacked by a crab. 

It was peaceful until everyone’s actions were interrupted by a scream being heard from the skies. 

“Uhhh, Did you make that noise, Farhan? You know you can just separate us with that fireworks staff, right?” Ezekiel asked.

“Of course, it’s not him, Ezekiel. Farhan would rather look at the sea for hours than to attempt stopping you two from strangling each other.” Mitzi said before letting out a laugh with Ezra and Aidan.

However, Farhan was unfazed and his eyes focused on the skies before spotting a bright spot of light traveling in their directions, his usual cold facial expressions were instantly replaced by a pair of distinctly raised eyebrows as he beckoned the others to take shelter behind the large boulders. 

“Everyone, take shelter now! This meteor is about to strike within seconds! Cover your heads!” The leader yelled as he swooped up the newborn in his arms and hid behind the rock he was sitting earlier, Aidan and the twins huddled around the shorter friend as they took cover behind a large boulder, eyes, and ears closed, fearing the moment when the meteor struck the coast. 

The meteor was Albedo being trapped in an invisible barrier of light, he is trying to maintain composure despite being transported to a world outside of Teyvat, but his efforts to preserve his calm and analytical nature amid a crisis went in vain when he saw himself being a few seconds away to crash into the sand.

‘Oh Lord Barbatos, please save me--’ 

That was the last thought which popped up in Albedo’s head before he felt his face and body hitting the warm sand then passing out from the impact. Albedo tried to raise himself but the impact result from the crash prevented him from doing so, as his field of vision started to blur, he could vaguely see several grey silhouettes approaching towards him from the boulders several feet away.

“Help…” He whispered with one of his arms reaching out to them before completely losing consciousness and let his face bury into the sand. 

The children carefully approached the alchemist hand in hand, with the newborn moth behind them. A lot of questions appeared in their minds at the same time as they managed to have Albedo’s appearance within their range of vision, but one of them stood out against the rest.

“Is he a new child of light?”


	3. Candles of Friendship

It took Albedo a while before regaining consciousness, he felt the gentle sea breeze caressing his hair as he lifted himself before wiping the sand off his face and clothing. The alchemist continues to feel a dull pain in his limbs resulting from the fall, but he was able to stand and the subtle sensation in his arms doesn’t increase when he uses them for support as he stands up.

He blinks quickly a couple of times to make sure his eyes didn’t hurt from the sand before opening them fully and finds himself surrounded by several grey silhouettes of different heights. The grey silhouettes noticed that he has regained consciousness and started to move towards him while holding candles at the same time. 

‘What on Celestia are these beings?!’  
‘Are they trying to burn me alive--’  
‘This must be a nightmare, am I right?!’  
‘Sweet Barbatos, where is my sword?!’

These thoughts raced repeatedly in the alchemist’s head as his body collapsed to the sand uncontrollably and he backed away frantically, trying to summon his sword from the back. He attempted to threaten them with combat or a call for help but the quivering lips didn’t help much and all he can do is to let out a shaky “No…” when he brings his sword out and realises that it has become a red burning candle. 

“no...no..No..Please don’t kill me! Someone help me! NO...NO!” Albedo’s voice gradually grew from a raspy, quiet croak into a terrified scream as he pointed and waved the candle quickly to the looming silhouette slowly closing onto him, hoping that he could scare them away. However, his efforts were alas but to no avail. 

His usual pale expression has now become sheer white with fear as cold sweat dripped down his forehead, Albedo would have never thought that he too, can be paralysed with fear, memories of him with his colleagues, Traveller and his younger sister Klee flashed through his eyes as the silhouettes have reached right in front of him, their candles a few inches away from meeting his. 

“This is it, I assume? I’m extremely sorry, everyone but I fear it’s my turn to ascend to Celestia first...Jean...Lisa...Sucrose...XingQiu...Traveller...Klee...Farewell, my loved ones..” He whispered before closing his eyes, finally accepting the fact that he will die in a foreign land, leaving his loved ones behind, devastated with his sudden appearance and gradually realising that he has deceased in another land outside of Teyvat. 

The white-haired prince held his breath as he felt their candles meeting his, he has encountered more perilous situations than this, somehow Albedo felt an unnatural sense of relief despite thinking he’s about to die within seconds. 

‘Any moment now, just make it quick and painless…’ He thought, his eyes remaining shut. Little did he know, these silhouettes have no intention to harm him, but the intrusive thoughts are soon interrupted by a foreign noise similar to a goose honk.

“Huh? What kind of sound was that? It does resemble a goose’s honk though..” Albedo muttered, slowly lifting his eyelids while maintaining his candle pointed towards the strangers. But instead of the grey ominous silhouettes he expected, he saw several children with different exotic clothing, both parties stared at each other before the tallest among the group suddenly bowed to him.

“Greetings, a fellow child of light. My name is Farhan and these are my friends: Ezekiel and Ezra the twins, Aidan, and Mitzi. This little one behind us is another newborn like you, may we know if you have a preferred name for us to address yourself?” Farhan, the leader with a long braid asked, while the other children looked at the foreigner with excited yet afraid eyes. 

Albedo tried to understand what the latter was trying to convey but he only can hear sounds similar to a goose honk. However, the blond was grateful that the strangers have no intention of causing malice to him despite the language barriers he is experiencing at the moment. Although Albedo is known for his ability to learn things quickly, learning languages isn’t his main forte as he has his focus mostly on alchemy, so all he can do to reply is offering an apologetic smile and a shrug on his shoulders.

Thankfully, shrugging is a universal gesture to signify “I don’t know/understand.” in both Teyvat and the Kingdom of Sky. The leader took note of his gesture and beckoned the rest of the children to gather for a quick discussion. 

“This child of light doesn’t seem to understand what Farhan said.” Aidan said, his remaining eye glueing onto the alchemist’s physique before continuing her statement, “However, I have to say this stranger doesn’t seem to share many similarities in terms of appearance and clothing.”

The twins took a quick look at Albedo before sharing a look then nodded profusely, agreeing with what their companion said about the mysterious blond.

“Child of light or not, I want to point out that the cape they’re wearing is beautiful!” Mitzi squealed with delight, her finger pointing to Albedo’s jacket. The newborn moth honked several times as a reply to agree with Mitzi’s opinion on the jacket.

Everyone but Farhan started to share their thoughts on Albedo.

“Are they one of us?”  
“Why are they taller than any of us? Farhan is size 1 and this stranger is taller than him!”  
“How are we going to help them? They don't seem to understand us.”  
“Their braids are so gorgeous?! I would farm all realms every day for this majestic hairstyle!”

Farhan had his eyes closed, his mind deep in thought as his friends continued to express their respective opinions about the blond until he lifted his finger to his lips and let out a gentle yet audible shush. The others gradually quiet down and let Farhan speak out his thoughts regarding the stranger they just encountered. The eldest gave a tiny smile of gratitude for his companions to acknowledge his gesture and took a deep breath before telling the troupe about his decisions.

“I have been listening to your opinions and thoughts regarding our encounter with a person not from our kingdom. I do agree with Aidan’s opinions, this stranger also does not look like a newborn child of light in my eyes. However, I would like to befriend and attempt to assist them, after all, we children of the light mustn't turn our heads away from people who need help. Besides the stranger, we should also take the moth with us since they also require our assistance.” Farhan said as he took out his Candle of Friendship, a white candle slightly larger than the red one, accompanied by a larger rainbow on the top of the flame. 

“Is anyone with me?” He asked, his eyes fixated on the other children. Within seconds, his companions took out their Candles of Friendship as a token of support to their friend's decision.


	4. The outlander

Albedo was standing a few feet away from the commotion as his senses were fixed onto the group of children. Their voices seemed to be foreign to a Teyvatian’s ears, he could hear honking similar to animal sounds. The clothing they wear differs in style and colour usage as well, the alchemist wonders if the world he has entered by accident shares a similar map with Teyvat’s continent showing the seven nations under the rule of the Archons. 

Their honks grew louder and louder until they were quietened down by a faint yet audible hush from the tallest kid in the group. The child made several honks that sounded like a distorted violin, Albedo can’t help to secretly admire the child’s ability to be able to assert themselves.

‘The tallest one must be the leader of the group, I assume? Somehow they remind me of Acting Grand Master Jean, gentle yet assertive when necessary.’ He thought, with a hand on his chin, intrigued by what the children might be talking about. But his thoughts were soon interrupted by their actions, they took out their candles but it’s a white candle, its size slightly larger than the red one he was holding, and the rainbow on the flame was larger as well. 

Albedo watched the children kneeled on one knee before presenting their white candles to another child with rather plain clothing and an interesting hairstyle that reminded him of a sunsettia. The latter accepted their candles then had their handheld by another taller kid. He thought they were going to leave the beach until the group walked back to him, their white candles held out, before kneeling with one knee down to him simultaneously. 

“Wait...What is happening right now...Are they proposing to me?!” He stammered, his cheeks slowly reddening to a shade of faint pink since the gesture represents a hand in marriage back in Teyvat. If his colleague Kaeya was here beside him, the cavalry captain would have teased about his bashfulness for being well-liked by foreigners outside of Teyvat within a short time.

‘As if the people of Mondstadt thought they could have Albedo to themselves~’ This is something Kaeya would say before chuckling away.

Albedo stood there, hesitating if he should take the candles or not, after all, one should not prejudge the other’s actions by their outward appearance alone.

‘Are they trying to gain my trust before they try to kill me another time?’  
‘But they look genuine enough, especially their current gesture.’  
‘Should I try to place my trust in these children?’

His hands a few inches away from the pure white candles, debating his next decision. 

“Why are they not taking our candles yet? My knee is starting to hurt!” Ezra complained, giving several pats to his aching knee with his free hand, attempting to ease the numbness for kneeling in one knee.

“Farhan? I think this foreigner seems to be suspicious of our current gestures, I think it’s better if we leave them alone since we cannot force them to join us.” Aidan said, his arms starting to grow tired from holding the candle out. 

“Let’s wait for another few minutes, everyone. If they choose not to take one of our candles, we will leave with the moth.” Farhan replied, his cold orbs of amber with a hint of hope fixed on Albedo, hoping that one of their candles can be accepted.

Ezekiel didn’t say anything in response except letting out a sigh filled with subtle sadness, the sight of the reluctant alchemist reminded him of certain unhappy memories in his days as a newborn.

“I don’t think they like us….” Mitzi choked, tears welling up in her eyes, ready to fall at any moment. 

The faces of smiling children are gradually replaced with negative emotions; the fear of rejection, the pain of unforgotten memories, the last beam of hope, unspoken disappointment, and the tears of a child’s broken heart. All of their faces left an unforgettable expression in his eyes, but the little girl’s tears had his heart torn apart by guilt and the memories of him silently making a solemn promise that he would never make his beloved sister, Klee upset in his presence at the day he was brought home by her mother, Miss Alice. 

“Hey, little one...I apologise for making you upset, I’ll take your candle...Please don’t cry, okay?’’ Albedo said with an apologetic smile as he took her candle and wiped away the big, fat tears on the verge of falling away from her eyes with his other hand. 

The girl replaced her frown with the brightest smile while her companions looked at their interactions with astonishment before showing traces of joy on their faces, she then started to jump up and down repeatedly while cheering at the same time. 

This time, Albedo can finally understand their language.

“Bless the elders! You finally accepted my candle--Hi, I'm Mitzi and I love your hairstyle and cape! Are you a child of light like us?!” Mitzi rambled on, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she continued to jump up and down. 

The alchemist couldn’t help but let out a stifled laugh as he accepted her companions’ candles, smiles of joy soon returned to everyone’s faces, except the plain-looking child who didn’t have their white candle held out to him. He pointed a finger at the child and was about to open his mouth to ask when the leader got up from his feet and introduced themselves.

“That took you long enough to take our candles, anyways let me reintroduce myself and the rest of the group. Greetings, my name is Farhan and I assume you heard this little girl called Mitzi partially screamed out her name when you accepted her candle.” Farhan spoke while eyeing Mitzi who stopped jumping but her eyes were still full of enthusiasm before he continued to introduce the others.

“This is Aidan, you might be questioning how a child of light with one eye can fly straight without bumping into trees and cliffs, but never underestimate his flying skills for he used to be one of the fastest racers in our kingdom.” Albedo gave a nod to Aidan, then the skykid bowed back as a form of courtesy.

“Finally but not least, we have the twins Ezekiel and Ezra. They are inseparable but they have distinct personalities and choices in musical instruments, but I will leave the guessing to you, stranger.” Farhan said before letting out a chuckle, leaving the blond no choice but to sigh at the child’s sense of humour. 

“Now that our introductions have been made, I think we should move on to the important part: Who are you? And why are you in our kingdom, outlander?” Farhan asked, the previous smirk gone from his face, leaving behind his usual cold and strict demeanour.

The alchemist can feel chills gradually crawling up to his spine despite maintaining his usual aloof and expressionless face when he heard the harsh tone in Farhan’s voice as he mentioned the word “Outlander” in his question.

Albedo will never forget that such a cold glare and intimidating tone can be found from a child.


	5. Friendship between worlds

A few seconds ago, the blond’s presence was still welcomed in the troupe as Farhan introduced them to him one by one, Albedo could see bright white smiles plastered on their faces until the latter decided to question his identity and origins. 

The rest of the children are now staring at Albedo, eyes filled with curiosity, hostility, and a certain level of distrust while standing at the other side of the beach, leaving their leader alone with him. 

“Who are you? And why are you in our kingdom, outlander?”

Farhan repeated his question as he slowly approached the alchemist cautiously, a wood staff held in his hands in a defensive posture as if the latter is ready to strike during his most vulnerable state. 

Albedo stared at the child with his usual nonchalant teal coloured eyes despite being posed as a potential threat to the child and his friends, taking several breaths while thinking of the most appropriate way to answer the questions regarding his identity and origins. He cannot expect the foreigners to understand how he got teleported to their world but he has to try to explain to not involve himself in any conflict, especially against a child. 

“My name is Albedo, Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius and also known as Kreideprinz or the Chalk Prince among my compatriots. I understand why you are suspicious about my presence in your world but please be assured that I pose no threat to you and your companions, and my intrusion into your kingdom is nothing more than an accident.” He said, his teal eyes maintaining contact with the children, trying to prove that he is telling the truth.

The children were slightly skeptical about his statement but then gave a slight nod for him to continue explaining. 

“I originate from the world of Teyvat, where seven nations are under the rule of gods who we address as Archons. I reside in the city of Mondstadt, the city was bestowed with titles such as “The City of Wind and Song” and “Land of Anemo”. Besides that, Mondstadt is the only city without the sovereignty of our respective Archon, Lord Barbatos thus earning the city its fame for being the land of freedom.” 

“Regarding my accidental intrusion into this world, I have to apologise for not being able to provide a legitimate answer since I did not attempt to travel between worlds on purpose, I was interrupted by an unknown force in a volatile state while trying to transform a still life drawing of a butterfly to be alive. I do hope my explanation is enough to prove my presence for not being a potential threat in this world.” 

After finishing describing himself, the alchemist took a deep breath as he had run out of breath from explaining. He never took much interest in establishing relationships with other people outside his workplace and didn’t enjoy spending time trying to start a conversation which mostly ends up in awkward silence or scaring people away when he brought up the topic of performing experiments on them out of curiosity. Besides that, he also finds small talk unnecessary since he rather has his energy spent on performing experiments and painting landscapes or living things. 

Albedo expected an awkward silence since he knew his monotonous tone might have bored the poor children to death but the reaction he received from them proved otherwise. 

“Woahhhh--I never knew there is another world besides ours!”  
“You can summon butterflies right out of a drawing?! That’s awesome! Can you demonstrate it for us, pretty please with a red candle on top?”  
“I wonder if you know how to fly since you said you originate from the Land of Wind.”  
“Can I take a closer look at the yellow necklace?”  
“I don’t understand the word alchemy, can you explain it to me?”

The alchemist chuckled as he tried to calm the children down to let him answer their questions respectively. 

“First, even though most Mondstadtians own a wind glider that resembles a bird’s wings to provide another efficient method of travel through the mountainous regions, the wind gliders do not assist in birdlike and long term flight, therefore I wouldn’t say that I possess the ability to fly for an extended period.”

“The yellow necklace? Ah, you mean my Vision. It’s nothing more than a tool to aid in my experiments and research, no different from ordinary laboratory apparatus. However, I’m intrigued by the principles that make it work, I will uncover its secrets someday, it’s just a matter of time.”

“Hmm...How does one define alchemy? I would say alchemy is defined as the process of either transformation or creation. However, there are cases where both processes are found in one, experiments range from taking ordinary items and trying to transform them into something extraordinary or risking their own lives to pursue the truth and turn the “unknown” into the “known” for the sake of knowledge. Perhaps I can help you understand what I just said by demonstrating my abilities since your friend asked for it too.” 

Albedo took out his sketchbook from his coat and flipped through it to find an empty page for his illustration. Fortunately, his pencil was safe from being transformed into another red candle. Otherwise, he couldn’t provide a sketch for the summoning. He started by sketching the outlines of a butterfly, then listed out the details on its wing patterns and the tiny sensory hairs on its legs before finalising his sketch through several tones of shading.

He put back the pencil into his pocket before casting a yellow glow on his left hand and said out the words for the summoning.

“Arise, lifeless dust of the universe and that within thou art reborn!”

A bright light emitted from the sketchbook, making the children wince and shut their eyes. But the slight pain was soon forgotten when they saw the grey butterfly coming to life. A mix of emotions washed over them: fascination, happiness, and curiosity as they watched the insect spread out its wings and flew up into the sky. 

“Now that I have answered your questions, I would like to inquire about this world, if you do not mind.” Albedo said while placing his sketchbook back into his coat.   
“Firstly, where is this place and who are you?”  
“I also would like to know about the gesture where all of you knelt in one knee since this symbolises a hand in marriage according to Mondstadtian customs.”  
“Besides that, I would appreciate it if someone could explain this child not holding out a white candle just now.” 

The alchemist listed out his questions before sitting on a rock, waiting for their answers.

“Well, Albedo, you are now in the Isle of Dawn, one of the seven realms in the Kingdom of Sky! We are the children of the Light or Skykids if you prefer a less formal way to address us!” Mitzi responded with enthusiasm. 

“Our gesture symbolises only a hand in marriage in your customs? That is an interesting coincidence, I have to say. However, this gesture means sincerity in our kingdom’s customs which means anything that has to do with relationships has a deep connection with the white candle of pure love and kindness, presented with genuineness by the giver.” Farhan replied light-heartedly, amused by the alchemist’s bashfulness when he recalled them presenting their white candles to the blond a while ago.

“Ah yes, this is a newborn or “Moth” in casual terms, we found them wandering around the beach moments before you arrived into the kingdom. Apparently, they have no candles so they were unable to befriend and unlock the ability to communicate or have physical contact with you, but you get to befriend and interact with them once you gather enough wax orbs for one candle. We will help with the translation if they wish to have a word with you.” Aidan said, his eyes looking at the shy newborn who is hiding behind his cape but Albedo managed to have brief eye contact with them. 

Albedo thanked the three for helping out with his questions before kneeling and flashed a small smile to the moth who was still hiding behind Aidan. The shy child reminded him of younger Klee having the same reaction when her mother brought him home.

“Hello there, little one. My name is Albedo, what is your name?” He asked, waving his hand gently to greet them before beckoning the children to help with the translation.

Aidan gave a honk as he knelt and held the moth’s hand, nodding gently to encourage them to introduce themselves to the alchemist. The child slowly raised their head and fiddled with their fingers for several seconds before returning several honks.

“The young one said they don’t have a name yet, they asked for some time to think of their preferred name. They also told me that it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The former translated before whispering a “Good job” to the moth.

“Thank you for helping me translate, Aidan. Please tell them that I look forward to knowing their preferred name and I hope we can get along well when I have enough candles to befriend them.” Albedo said with a gentle toothed smile before standing back up. 

He was about to bid the group goodbye and set off to find a way to return to Teyvat before any of his loved ones discovers his disappearance when he saw the solemn-looking twin, Ezekiel whispered into Farhan’s ear as both of them fixed their eyes on him at the same time. Farhan gave a hum and nodded as he listened to Ezekiel’s murmuring. 

Then both skykids walked a few feet away from the others to exchange words in a more private setting behind a boulder for several minutes, he saw them nodding at each other before Farhan called out to Albedo.

“Albedo, I know it might sound sudden to you since we barely know each other but we would like to invite you to join our group since Ezekiel suggested to me that the elders might be able to assist with advanced knowledge about teleportation between worlds. Besides that, we share the same destination since we’re guiding the moth across the realms.” Farhan said as he reached his hand out to the blond, while the other children watched with anticipation, hoping that the alchemist can accept Farhan’s request and embark on a journey with them.

“Come on, come on--join us, Albedo!”  
“For elder's sake, accept his hand--”  
“Honk honk honk---”  
“Even the newborn moth wants to know you more, Albedo.”

Voices can be heard a few feet away, where the rest of the troupe are not being discreet with their hidden wishes to hope Albedo can accept their request and join the troupe. Albedo looked at them, he couldn’t help but smile wholeheartedly as he took Farhan’s hand and returned a handshake.

“You have my eternal gratitude, Farhan. I’m honoured to join your troupe.”


	6. Isle of Dawn

The children cheered when they saw Albedo accepting the leader’s hand. The little moth gave a few happy honks even though they’re still not used to the alchemist’s presence.

“Skykids, the Light awaits!” 

Farhan announced as he led the group through the cave. Gold coloured murals suddenly appeared on the cave walls as if they have felt their presences and decided to show themselves, piquing Albedo’s curiosity on how skykids obtain the ability to fly like birds instead of relying on short term gliding in the air with wind gliders.

“The murals seem to be describing something related to your abilities for birdlike flight, I would like to know more about it.” He said, his hand touching the cold cave wall while his eyes fixated on the primitively drawn mural of several skykids worshipping the stars.

Ezekiel turned his head to the former before starting to describe the ancient tale of the heavens bestowing the first inhabitants with a Child of Light eons before the foundation of the kingdom ruled by a King and with the assistance of several Elders. 

“It was eons ago before our Kingdom was built, people in this world travelled on bare feet and worshipped the stars for their guidance through the darkest of nights. It was a calm and starry night when the heavens decided to bestow them a star that gives its beholder the ability to fly freely in the sky. Since that night, the first children of the Light knew how to fly.”

Ezekiel’s voice is flat and cold compared to his younger twin’s bubbly and expressive voice, but a subtle hint of pride can be heard through the narration since if it wasn’t for the ancestors, he wouldn’t have access to earn the power of flight. 

The group continued to walk and studied the murals until they reached the exit of the cave. Farhan then stopped in his tracks and beckoned the moth to let go of his hand. A child made out of light is found standing at the edge of the exit. 

As the moth let go of his hand and slowly approached their first light, the former gestured to Albedo for him to come closer. The blond squeezed himself through the group then stood next to the leader.

“This is the first Child of Light that has descended from the heavens to our kingdom eons ago,” Farhan whispered, his finger pointing to the golden silhouette.

Everyone had their eyes on the moth as they stood in front of the Child of Light, their hands cupped upwards as the silhouette transformed into a white star with orange wings accompanied by a trail of blue flames, leaving behind traces of gold before entering the child’s body. Several seconds later, a brown cape grew out of their back as they floated in the air to receive the blessings from the heavens for accepting the light.

‘That was an interesting phenomenon, the process reminded me of the night I received my vision--’ Albedo’s thoughts were interrupted by the cheers of his new friends.

“Congratulations, little one!”  
“Oh my Elders, my heart is exploding from the wholesomeness!”  
“Did you see the cape?! You’re able to reach the heavens if you collect more lights!”  
“You have my blessings, newborn. You are always welcome to request me for advanced flying techniques if you’re interested.”  
“We hope you can feel the pride and happiness surrounding you when we watched you collect your first wings.” 

Albedo smiled and clapped a little as he saw the moth honked happily as they twirled around, their eyes fixed on the brown cape. The sight of children celebrating the achievement of their junior brought him back to the day when Klee showed him her first bomb.

‘It’s been three years since she showed us her first bomb before Miss Alice’s expedition, I missed the days when she was still around in Mondstadt.’ 

As he thought the ceremony was finished when the veterans stood around him and the moth with grave looks on their faces. After that, they knelt on one knee with a hand to their chest simultaneously before giving their word of honour in unison.

“Dear newborn child of light and Albedo, you are present to witness our pledge to guide and protect you as we travel across the realms and reach the Light. We hereby promise to stick by your sides until we have reached the end of the journey. May the Elders bless the roads of trials ahead of us.” 

From the sudden pledge, the blond was taken aback by their seriousness. He knew the journey might be perilous at some point, but he wasn’t expecting the children to offer themselves for his protection. After all, he is a knight of Favonius, he should be the one to protect the children since he knows how to fight, instead of the other way around.

“You have my thanks, everyone. But I should be the one to offer protection to you since I have experience in combat.”

To his surprise, the younger children laughed at his offer. He was about to throw them an icy glare until Farhan explained.

“I apologise on the behalf of my juniors for the inappropriate response to your offer. However, children do not have the privilege to yield a weapon in this kingdom. Only the Elders and adults who are accepted into the army under the supervision of the Wasteland Elder are bestowed weapons by the King. However, it has been centuries since the kingdom’s demise, I fear that only the children are the sole survivors of the destruction.” The latter said, before glaring at his juniors for laughing at Albedo’s response. 

‘No wonder my sword transformed into a candle back then, yielding weapons in this kingdom is equivalent to owning a vision in Teyvat. That means we have no choice but to be extremely in dangerous areas.’ 

The alchemist concluded in his head as the group jumped off the small ledge and glided across the desert, with the chimes of the temple bells providing a contrast to the peaceful desert, accompanied by the ruins of stone made boats and statues of worshipping pilgrims kneeling on the sand. As they flew through the desert, Albedo swore he could hear the voice of a maiden singing in some unknown language native to the children. 

The veterans only landed on the sand to let the moth collect its winged lights before they continued to flap their cape until they landed near another ledge with a transparent green barrier, blocking their path to a child of light at the edge of the cliff that leads to a flight path to the temple. 

Albedo walked to the barrier and touched it, it felt cold to his hand and has a texture similar to gelatin. The barrier has a dull outline of a wooden staff, it seems to require something to allow people to cross it.

“This is rather an interesting barrier, but it is preventing our access to the temple.” He said as he continues to observe the structure of the barrier.

“Don’t worry about solving puzzles, Albedo. This barrier requires a spirit that has its memories relived to unlock the access to walk through it.” Farhan replied as he held the former’s hand, leading them to the cave smaller than the previous one they entered.

“Follow us, there are two spirits nearby for you and the moth to relive their memories.”

Albedo held the candle tightly in his hand as they walked to the cave, uncertain about the spirit memories he was going to relive. 

Unbeknownst to the troupe, a certain elder has been watching over their presence in his realm even though they have long passed centuries ago. 

‘A foreigner in the kingdom? I shall hope he is worthy enough to be granted access to the rest of the realms.’


	7. Spirits and Flight

The alchemist was expecting the cave to be covered with ruins and bones until he saw it, empty and clean as if the cave was never affected by the aftermath of the kingdom’s destruction. A transparent blue figure can be found kneeling at one of the entrances with their eyes closed and hands being clenched in a praying posture, creating a gentler aura compared to the aggressive-looking monsters Albedo faced back in the wilds of Teyvat. 

“Here is our first spirit, all you have to do is to light their core and follow the trail as you relive their memories,” Farhan said as he pointed to the kneeling spirit. He was about to continue talking when Mitzi suddenly raised her tiny hand and volunteered herself to narrate their memories.

“Big brother Farhan, can I please tell them the stories of the Isle spirits? You know how much I enjoy reliving their memories that I can recite without getting all nervous! I want to be a storyteller like you someday, let me try this time, please?” She asked, looking up at the leader as she tugged his arm.

“Alright then, Mitzi. You can assist me this time, good luck my little star.” The older child replied fondly as he ruffled the younger child’s hair. If one were to lay a finger on Mitzi and hurt her, Farhan will travel through the realms without rest just to hunt them down.

Mitzi gave a small cheer as she ran to Albedo and the moth, held their hands before leading them to their first spirit. 

Looks were exchanged between both newcomers for several moments before they took out their candles and aimed the flame at the core inside of the translucent spirit. The silhouette transformed into a blue spark before disappearing into the cave, Albedo and the moth walked side by side as they followed the spirit and listened to Mitzi’s narration.

“Candles are the most basic form of currency in our kingdom, its existence can be dated back to the era before the first Child of Light descended from the heavens. It was said that this spirit you’re reliving at this moment was the pioneer in candle making. One morning, he drew a mural of several candles being surrounded by joyous skykids and told his apprentices about a dream he had to spread happiness across the realms.” 

“They started to work hard on creating the first candles, after days of countless formulas and attempts, they have succeeded in candle making. Several types of candles can be found in our daily lives, each holding a different type of function.”

“The standard red candle is normally used to light up strangers, candles and even burn darkness plants in your journeys ahead; the white candle is used as a token of kindness and gratitude when we interact with our loved ones or the spirits we met, we can also unlock cosmetics and blessings from the spirits through them. Lastly but not least, the rarest type of candles is orange in colour, they’re called the ‘Seasonal candles”, they appear in random clusters across the realms when a season is present but unspent candles get converted to the white ones on the day when the season ends.” 

“The candlemaker tells his apprentices that they should present their creation to the elder of the Isle of Dawn to honour his leadership and kindness. That particular morning, they carried the first candles out of the cave and placed them on a boat, hearts beating with anticipation, before embarking on their boat ride to the temple. Little did they know that their creation eventually became the foundation of the kingdom’s currency system which we still use today.”

Mitzi finished her story as the blue light flew out of the cave and entered into a charred figure in the same kneeling posture as earlier, she gave a nod to beckon them to light the silhouette and unlock their final memory. 

Two red candles were then aimed into the charred remains before the blackened shell peeled off from the figure, leaving the opaque blue spirit behind. A shatter was heard before the candlemaker spirit appeared right in front of their eyes, presenting the final memory.

The apprentices were cheering and clapping their hands on their boat filled with candles and other goods, ready to be offered to the Isle Elder. The candlemaker points in the direction of the temple as the boat embarks on its journey to the floating island, the moth imitated the spirit’s actions before Albedo joined in, slightly confused.

The candlemaker spirit suddenly turned back into a spot of blue light before flying in the direction of the temple. The bell was rung when the light reached its destination. 

The greenish spirit barrier has now become a bright orange colour, with the constellation outline filled with white light, finally allowing access to the flight route. However, the veterans have other plans instead of walking through the barrier.

“Congratulations on getting your first emote! But we have another spirit to find before we can walk up the cliff and fly to the temple.” Mitzi said as she guided them to another spirit kneeling in a partially hidden area in front of the cliff. 

‘So following the spirit’s action before they transform into a blue spark allows one to earn an “emote”? A very interesting sight.’ Albedo thought before he saw the second spirit and lit its core to relive its memories.

Mitzi took a deep breath before starting with her second story.

“This is one of my favourite spirit memories! This spirit’s memory illustrates the tale of how children are born in this kingdom. So this spirit was talking with her friend as they walked around the desert, they were having a pleasant chat until she saw a shooting star about to hit the ground right in front of them.”

“She sprang into action and ran to the crash site, leaving the other spirit behind as they tried to catch up with her. The shooting star turned out to be a newborn child, considering the fact the unconscious child might need urgent care, she quickly ushered her friend to fasten their pace. When the latter caught up with her, they exchanged looks, both not knowing what to do until the child suddenly woke up and looked at them. Both spirits shared a silent agreement to seek assistance from the Elder.”

They lit the charred figure and repeated their actions before watching the spirit’s light entering the temple, bells chiming to notify her arrival.

Albedo is now confused, both winged light and people are born from the stars, there must be a difference between both processes.

“Mitzi, you said the people in your kingdom are born from the stars. I would like to know if they are born in the same way as winged lights or a specific procedure is involved?” He asked.

“Hmmm...children are born every day no matter what time of the day, but most winged lights are born during calm and starry nights, especially after worshipping the heavens in the darkest of nights every year.” The young girl answered as the troupe walked to the unlocked spirit barrier.

Everyone took out their candles and touched the barrier, creating a space for them to walk through, the blond saw the wall was too tall for the children to jump up so he tried to climb up before helping the rest. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t hold his grip on the smooth walls.

“Climbing isn’t suitable as the rocks are too smooth for us to hold onto, therefore we have to rely on flight energy from our capes or the light creatures through deep calling,” Farhan said as he held Albedo’s hand and released a deeper honk. 

Several butterflies flew down and surrounded the troupe as they carried them up and landed on the top of the larger rock. A winged light can be seen at the top of the cliff, leading to the flight path to the temple on the floating island. 

The moth walked towards it as everyone else watched them from behind, they interacted with the golden silhouette before jumping off the cliff then spread out their wings to fly towards the temple.

“Woohoo!! Everyone, join the moth!” Ezra whooped before they flapped their wings.

The rest of the veterans laughed as they joined in the flight, leaving Albedo standing on the cliff. He looked at the temple entrance for a brief moment, took a couple of deep breaths before activating his wind gliders then joined the rest of his friends.

Albedo was used to gilding from the top of Dragonspine’s summit but relying solely on the wind current to raise himself into the air? He instantly fell in love with the feeling of being free in the air without watching himself gradually gliding down.

‘I missed this feeling of venturing into the unknown…Miss Alice, is this the “flight of freedom” you mentioned? I finally understood what you said, I wish you were present to witness it...’

He smiled as his arms relaxed to let the wind take control of his glider, guiding him to the temple where bells were chimed to welcome the group’s arrival.

‘Maybe this world isn’t so bad after all..’


	8. Daleth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be noted that the Elder names I use in this fanfic are not canon, I referred them from a Reddit post.

“I hope you are ready to meet the Elder, my friends.” 

Farhan said to the newcomers after they landed right in front of the temple, doors wide open to welcome the troupe’s arrival. But before they could go in, Mitzi told them that there is another spirit memory for them to relive, their memories crucial in earning candles.

“This spirit’s memory is important in earning candles and replenishing cape energy. Please follow me!” 

Mitzi led Albedo and the moth to a small cave hidden at the left side of the temple. Like most caves in the kingdom, this one is blocked by a spirit barrier that requires two-spirit memories from the Isle of Dawn to be guided before earning access to learn the third spirit’s memory. Fortunately, they were given access to walking through the barrier since they have guided the two spirits in the desert before flying up to the temple.

They lit the spirit as Mitzi opened her mouth and began to narrate the memories. 

“When darkness plants first existed in the kingdom eons ago, they were labelled to be dangerous since no one knew their true functions. They were given their name as “Darkness plants” due to the fact they thrived in dark and humid places, unlike the rest of the light creatures which preferred warm and brightly lit areas.”

“This spirit was probably the first to discover their existence and suspected them to be a danger for skykids since these plants are corrupted with darkness. They and their friend discussed the potential dangers if a skykid is not being careful enough around the plants before walking out of the cave and reported their findings to the Elder.” 

“This cave used to be a favourite place for people to meditate or worship the Elder, as you can see there is a mural of them surrounded by birds until the Elder decided to seal the cave with a barrier to prevent people from entering because there wasn’t enough evidence to prove the plants not being a hazard to people.”

Mitzi stopped and took out her candle before she explained the true function of the dark plants.

“However, some trespassers found out that the plants can produce wax orbs when contacted with a source of light or fire. These plants are also an important ingredient in candle making since a fixed number of orbs are needed to forge a candle. All you need to do is take out your candle and melt the plants, but be careful to not cut yourselves since there are thorns.”

Albedo and the moth watched her as she burnt the plants, leaving behind wax orbs, and a sound almost identical to paper shredding echoed in the cave. After burning all of the plants, Mitzi suddenly cupped her hands and raised them above her head, a white candle can be seen floating down and eventually landing into her hands before disappearing into a white core on her chest.

“This white core in my chest is used for storing currency and as a vital life force for desperate situations. When a skykid is out of cape energy, this core helps them to survive until they get to replenish their energy through a light source. However, if this core is corrupted by darkness, we will gradually lose our wings if we are unable to replenish it in time.” 

“What will happen if one loses all of their wings?” Albedo asked.

“Albedo, we will die without the core light. This is why we have to collect as many wings as possible to protect ourselves from dying too quickly.” Mitzi answered with a serious look on her face.

The moth let out a small whimper upon hearing the answer, their grip slightly tighten on the veteran’s hand. 

“Do not fret, little one. We are bound to lose our wings at some point but I will try my best to protect you from most of the dangers in the journey, alright?” Mitzi spoke in a gentle and soothing tone, relieving the newborn’s nerves before the trio left the cave and joined the rest in the temple.

‘This temple is simplistic and ancient-looking compared to the extravagant designs in the cathedral from Mondstadt, I wonder how long this kingdom has existed.’ 

Albedo asked himself silently in his head as he looked at the murals of the temples residing in the clouds and walked into the prayer room.

There is nothing in the room except a stone statue resembling the Isle Elder, accompanied by a small altar with an unlit white candle sitting on it. Sunlight shined through the framed windows, creating a tranquil ambience in the temple. 

Farhan lit the candle, activating a white circle in front of the statue, indicating both the alchemist and the moth need to meditate to meet the Elder.

“Just kneel in the circle and empty your thoughts as you close your eyes and wait for the circle to slowly shrink. They will appear to you in your mind when the moment arrives.” 

Albedo was about to kneel in the glowing circle with the moth when he saw the veterans walking to the door that leads to the rest of the kingdoms. He was about to ask when the former seemed to have read his mind and answered the question before he could say it out.

“We’ll be waiting by the door, you need to face the Elder alone.”

The alchemist closed his eyes and knelt beside the moth as the circle gradually grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared under them, the blue crystals resembling the eyes in the statue became gold. 

He felt the darkness in his eyes slowly become brighter, making him open his eyes and find himself with an old feeble man, birds flying behind them.

‘This must be the Elder of Isle of Dawn, but they seem to be different from the mural I saw earlier.’

The Isle Elder slowly moved towards him with the help of a broken wooden staff, as they got closer, Albedo noticed that their mask was shattered. Something must have happened that resulted in the kingdom’s fall and drained most of the Elder’s power. They glanced at the kneeling alchemist before scooping up the flame through the staff and raised it into the air with their remaining strength.

The once arch-backed, feeble Elder now stood straight, the wooden staff holding a ball of light at the end and their mask and robes restored with light energy, emphasising their former strength.

“Greetings, young one. I’m Daleth, the Elder of the Isle of Dawn. I was bestowed titles such as “The Shepherd of Light Creatures”, “The Navigator” and “The Gatekeeper” by the children of the Light. Even though I have long passed for centuries, I can still watch over my realm without existing physically.” 

Albedo had to raise his head to look into the Elder’s eyes, then he realised the moth once beside him was gone. Daleth noticed the concerned look in the blond’s eyes as they reassured him that the moth is safe.

“I see you’re wondering about the newborn’s whereabouts, do not worry for I have granted access for them into the rest of the kingdom. But you, on the other hand, I think we need to talk before I can let you join your new companions.”

“I have been watching you since you arrived in the kingdom, and I’m extremely honoured to see a foreigner like you would pay attention to our history and customs. Besides that, your bravery to entrust the children to guide you throughout the kingdom and allow the wind to take over your wings instead of relying on stamina should be acknowledged and praised as well, therefore you are deemed worthy to be granted access to the kingdom.”

“It seems you have several questions in your mind, feel free to ask. After all, it’s been a long time since I have shared my knowledge with the children.”

Albedo has a lot of questions brewing inside of his head, but he decided to ask that one question that will remind Daleth of that fateful day.  
“I would like to know about the kingdom’s past before its fall.” 

He could see the slight tremble in the Elder’s lips and tears slowly formed in their eyes, clouding their vision before they started to narrate the past from their perspective.

“Back in those days, light energy was created in the most natural methods through the lanterns, clouds, and light creatures, they sustained the people until the kingdom gradually prospered. Suddenly, those methods were unable to satisfy the growing population and the rise of buildings that require energy to function.”

“The other elders and I started to argue more due to the needs of our people; Some thought it would be safe to produce light energy through artificial methods while the rest and I preferred to stick with the old ways because we feared that those unorthodox methods might bring an end to the kingdom someday...And we were right…”

“At first, the extraction of light from smaller creatures had gone well until they decided to extract light through larger creatures...I know they were trying to solve the crisis but...the extraction went horrendously wrong...They were unable to leave a certain amount of light energy for the whales and the lack of energy caused those creatures to corrupt into Dark Dragons...so many lives were lost in that incident…”

Daleth’s tears wouldn’t stop falling at this point, their lips still trembling from the emotions as they took a deep breath and continued narrating.

“A few days before the King asked for our presence in his castle, I was notified by one of my people that the prophets who resided in a hidden cave inside the clouds...have predicted that a catastrophe will occur on the day I visit the King...I wish I could have done something to prevent it...I could have chosen to decline His Majesty’s invitation...I could have listened to the prophets...but I had done nothing…”

“When the King activated the giant diamond...it instantly killed him...the energy was too powerful for one to comprehend...then that was it...the kingdom fell...everything we built was lost in the explosion...I’m sorry but I cannot continue at this stage, the guilt...the memories..they’re too much for me.” 

The Elder wept as he looked at the mountain behind them, reminiscing the painful memories. 

“I’m sorry to hear this...I didn’t know it has an enormous impact on you…” Albedo apologised for he had never expected the Elder to have a breakdown. 

“My child, it’s alright...It’s been too long since I have confided my true feelings to someone else, let alone my fellow Elders and people...Thank you for listening…” 

A few minutes of silence was present as the Elder wiped away their tears and regained their composure. 

“It’s about time for me to open the door since we had a longer talk than expected, I can’t let your friends keep on waiting. Now, allow me to summon the birds.” 

Daleth raised their staff to the direction of the birds, attracting them with the ball of light on it before leading them into the sky. 

Albedo saw the Elder disappear and his field of vision was replaced by the sight of the morning sky, where hordes of light creatures were flying in the direction of the sun. The chiming bells and his companions amplified the liveliness outside the temple.

“Albedo! How did the meeting with the Isle Elder go?” Ezra asked with a smile on his face, not knowing that his Elder has cried in front of an outlander.

“I would say we have taken more time on reminiscing memories but they did mention that I was worthy to be granted access to the kingdom.” 

“That’s awesome! Now come on, let’s go to the next realm!” Mitzi chimed in, her cape spreading open to embrace the current.

The blond chuckled as he joined the others in the flight to the next realm. But before he took off, he turned his head to the statue and whispered “Do not worry, your secret is safe with me.” 

A twinkle can be seen on one of the blue diamonds of Daleth’s statue as Albedo took off into the air and joined his companions, heading off to the next realm.


	9. Bestowing Names

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter but at least it's wholesome :)

“Be ready to land, my friends!” 

Farhan suddenly announced as the troupe was getting closer to a small meadow, a narrow pathway can be seen sandwiched between two ledges, leading to the second realm.

As soon the blond’s feet touched the soft grass, he could feel the scent combination of subtly sweet flowers and fresh clouds enter his nostrils, refreshing his mind while he held hands with his friends and squeezed through the pathway.

The pathway led the troupe to a rest area, occupied with a few white benches around a pond, several gravestones, and an area which seemed to be a closet for the children to change their appearance and cosmetics when desired to do so.

“I suppose this is an area for you to socialise with other people or change your clothes. However, I do not understand the existence of these gravestones.” Albedo asked, his eyes glancing at them.

“These gravestones represent the spirits who reside in this realm. When one is approached, the specific spirit will appear in front of them, always ready to exchange their knowledge and cosmetics through currency. Sometimes, they might offer us a blessing or spell to assist us in our journeys.” Ezra explained, his voice full of enthusiasm as ever.

“Since we are in Daylight Prairie, I might as well help Farhan with narrating spirit memories for the both of you!” He suggested before flashing a bright smile to both the alchemist and moth.

“Huh, that’s odd, you and Mitzi never helped me and the others with storytelling before. Well, I guess Albedo’s arrival seemed to ease my job for this journey.” Farhan teased the younger veteran, leaving them with a sheepish grin as they rubbed the back of their head.

On the other hand, the moth lit the candle clusters and managed to summon a candle to befriend Albedo. They started to honk happily as they held a white candle and ran to the blond, bringing the veterans’ attention onto the duo.

“Look at the moth! It’s their first friendship invitation!”  
“This is the cutest thing I have ever seen!”  
“Don’t leave the child hanging there, Albedo!”  
“Go moth go!”

They knelt in front of Albedo, holding their first white candle as they radiated a smile that brought Albedo to the memory where Klee showed him a drawing of them holding hands after weeks he was brought home by her mother.

“You will be Klee’s best big brother forever!”

Her voice chanted in his head as he smiled back at the moth and accepted their candle while their other friends cheered.

“Hello! Aidan told me about your name, it’s Albedo, right?” The moth greeted Albedo with glistening eyes. However, they gave him an apologetic look before they stated the reason why.

“It’s nice to be able to talk and interact with you but I haven’t come up with my preferred name yet, is it alright if you can bestow me a name as a suggestion?”

Albedo sat on the nearest bench and brought a hand to his chin, deep in thought. He admitted that he was good at handling children since Klee can be a handful due to her passion for arson but naming them? He has no experience in that field at all.

He was about to give a common Mondstadtian children’s name when he found the hidden desire for adventure in the child’s eyes. 

‘Their eyes...they reminded me of Miss Alice’s fearless look when she told us about her expeditions...It’s been months since she left Mondstadt...I hope she is safe in her travels…’ 

This is it. He has found the perfect name for a newborn child who’s about to embark on an unforgettable journey in a lost kingdom. 

Albedo looked up to the moth and placed his hands into theirs before announcing their name.

“You remind me of a parental figure I had back in my homeworld, I would like to bestow her name for you because it’s not only a name to address you, it’s also a blessing of courage and fearlessness in our journeys ahead.”

The moth’s eyes went large and their jaw slightly dropped to the significance of the name Albedo came up for them.

“She was the one who took me to her home when my creator or mentor disappeared without a trace one day; she showered me with love and affection and treated me as if we shared the same blood; She was also a well-known adventurer and showed no fear on her face even in the most perilous expeditions which motivated me to embark into one of the most perilous mountains near Mondstadt. Therefore, I’m extremely grateful for everything she gave to me.”

The alchemist took a breath before saying out the name.

“Child of Light, I bestow you the name, Alice.”

The moth was in shock for a few moments before snapping back into reality and hugged him with a smile on their face.

"I love this name very much, thank you for helping me!"

Farhan and the other veterans stood a few feet away from them with astonished looks on their faces upon hearing Albedo's name for the moth. Farhan regained his composure and clapped his hands, the others gradually followed his actions and cheered before they ran and joined in the hug.

"Group hug!!!" Mitzi exclaimed as she pounced on the alchemist's back and hugged the duo.

Everyone else laughed and joined in the group hug under the radiant morning sun.

Like Daleth, the Second Elder was observing their interactions from the moment the troupe entered their realm. Unlike the former, this Elder was rather happy and didn't question Albedo's origins and identity. Instead, they focused more on his interactions with a new child of light.

'This newborn and the veterans seem to be comfortable with this foreigner's presence around them, no wonder Daleth has granted access for them into the kingdom. I hope they will not ruin my expectations when we get to meet in my temple.'


	10. Butterfly Fields

Albedo closed his eyes and smiled as he felt the children pulled him in a tighter hug, he is not the type of person to often yearn for physical contact but he doesn’t mind showing his affection through hugs with Klee and Miss Alice once in a while. 

‘How long have I not hugged Klee? I think I should hug her if I manage to return to Teyvat.’

Several moments later, the children let go of him and Alice, the moth he has just named earlier before holding out their hands, wanting to guide the duo through the wind tunnel in the clouds that leads to the butterfly fields in the second realm, Daylight Prairie.

“Come on, guys! Let’s head to every skykid’s favourite realm!” Ezra called out with excitement, eager to show them the clear blue skies and limitless green fields topped with colourful flowers, where dozens of happy yellow butterflies lived. 

They hopped across a small flight of stairs then jumped off the platform, where strong wind currents dragged them into a tunnel in the clouds as they flew in a diamond-shaped position, hands held together.

Albedo wasn’t expecting the capes his friends were wearing to be able to withstand such strong winds, since if one decides to wear their wind glider without upgrading the durability and use specific flight techniques, it will be destroyed under the strong air pressure.

‘These capes...I wonder what makes them strong enough to endure winds that are powerful enough to break the most expensive wind gliders…’ 

The alchemist watched the children facing the currents with formidable eyes as they were about to reach the end of the wind tunnel. He was about to compliment their courage when bright rays of light entered his eyes, making him wince at the slight pain. However, the pain was soon forgotten when the sight of the butterfly fields appeared in front of him as they made their descent and landed on the soft and fluffy grass.

Albedo stood in shock as he felt the gentle breeze caressing his braids and stared at the simplistic yet memorable beauty of nature in the butterfly fields. 

‘This scenery...The calm and benevolent weather with white puffy clouds...the cool breeze that blows through my hair...ample sunlight...active biological organisms…’

“What a view...How about a quick break so I can sketch this beautiful scenery?” He asked before taking out his sketchbook and pencil then sat down on the grass.

Albedo has his eyes focused on the butterfly fields, not letting go of the smallest butterfly or flower. After all, both alchemy and art require a keen sense of sight to capture even the tiniest details. 

His hand moved swiftly as the pencil created the outline of the meadow and clouds, then he started to shade the ledges and emphasised the flowers with gentle strokes from his pencil. After that, he outlined the butterflies and shaded the clouds, creating a three-dimensional result in the sketch.

He was about to call it a finished drawing when he saw his friends playing tag and ran across the fields, their laughter increasing the cheerful atmosphere of the realm. He picked up the pencil and added several silhouettes in the sketch before starting to outline each child’s distinct facial appearance, then shading the capes and hairstyles. 

“If Klee was here, she would have enjoyed playing tag or chasing butterflies with them…” The alchemist muttered to himself, not knowing the younger twin was sitting beside him the entire time.

“Albedo, who is this Klee you mentioned?” Ezra asked, jolting the other.  
“Oh...it’s you, Ezra. I didn’t know you were sitting beside me the entire time...I hope you didn’t doze off watching me sketch…”

“No worries, my friend! I find your methods of creating masterpieces really interesting but on the other hand, I’m more interested to know about Klee!”

“Klee is my younger sister, but to be more specific, her mother adopted me after my mentor disappeared without a trace and brought me to her home in Mondstadt. Even though we are not from the same parents, I do view her as my blood sister and we have been close ever since the day I moved into her house.” 

“As much as I love her, Klee can be a handful at times since she has an unusual passion for arson or interacting with flames. Most of my energy is used not for my research, but to clean up the messes she created through the explosions from her bombs. However, I can only console myself that her current destructiveness is nothing compared to her mother, Miss Alice.” 

Albedo laughed as he reminisced about the moments where he had to help clean up his sister’s mess while she faced solitary confinement in the headquarters. But he would secretly enter the room and pass her a plate of fisherman’s toast at night.

“Klee sounds like a fun person to be with! I think she will have tons of fun melting giant darkness plants with us!” Ezra exclaimed before he let out a sigh and told Albedo about his and his twin’s past.

“You know, Albedo, moments before you arrived in our kingdom, Ezekiel and I fought whether to adopt Alice or not, people tend to assume that twins have similar mindsets. Of course, we both have similar interests and agree on each other’s opinions most of the time but when it comes to engaging with newborns, it’s another story...but I cannot blame him for having different opinions on this matter.”

“When we were newborns, we tried to invite every skykid we encountered in the realms to be our friend or to guide us across the kingdom but we ended up getting rejected every time. After owning several musical instruments, we thought we can make friends by performing in social areas and if they like our music, perhaps we get to invite them to be our friends or vice versa…but I wish things could go our way…”

“As time passed, Ezekiel slowly lost hope on having our candles accepted by other children and started to isolate himself from large groups of people. By the time we joined Farhan, he was another person compared to his past self...I want to spend time with Alice but...I don’t want to make Ezekiel think that he’s getting replaced...He will be my kin forever...and no one can replace him like that…”

Ezra sighed and looked at his older twin who was strolling behind the others, still playing tag. Instead of smiling, Ezekiel had a solemn look on his face as he walked along the path.

“But anyway, let’s go relive the spirit in the dome, shall we? We cannot have access to the winged light and candles for the moth if we leave them unattended.” The younger twin suddenly called out to his companions, regaining his usual cheerfulness then dragged Albedo to the others.

The spirit with a yellow cape was seen in front of a dome, where most of the butterflies reside in the fields. Albedo held hands with Alice as they lit the spirit’s core and entered the dome while Ezra narrated the memories behind them.

“This spirit wanted to catch a butterfly in the dome but ended up bumping their head into the wall several times. Then they took a break and stood in the middle when they suddenly thought of an idea, they held out their hand and waited for a butterfly to sit on it. Several minutes later, a butterfly approached them and rested on their hand before eventually flying away.”

After earning the emote, Ezra held both of their hands and released a deep call, attracting the butterflies to rise to the top of the dome, where a winged light was standing. 

“We have two more lights and lots of candles to light up!” He said before jumping off the dome and led the duo to the trapped winged light and a cave full of candles.

‘The sounds these candles make when I light them up...it is satisfying to the ear…’ Albedo thought as the twinkling sounds of wax echoed across the cave walls.

Before the alchemist could enjoy listening to the sounds of wax orbs sparkling in the dark, he was dragged out of the cave and watched another winged light entering Alice’s body before a third star was formed on their cape.

“Get ready to help fix the bell towers!” 

That was the last thing Albedo heard from the younger twin as he got dragged through a door, leading to a village residing in the clouds.


	11. The Village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not including all of the prairie spirits because I want the fic to be smooth, unlike the gameplay hhhh

Several ruined and rusted bell towers can be found on floating islands while a winged light can be seen standing on another island carved with a manta constellation is in the middle of the village. The prairie temple is at least a few times larger and grander than the first temple, but it’s also located at a floating rock, making their flight up to the temple impossible due to the strong currents.

“So how are we going to reach the Prairie Elder?” Alice asked as they pointed to the temple.

“Well, Alice, we are going to fix the bell towers by burning the dark plants that grew on them! Besides that, there are four spirits for us to relive!”

Erza then jumped off the entrance and led the rest of the troupe to the winged light standing on the manta constellation platform. Alice collected the light while Ezra explained how to travel up to the temple.

“This manta constellation indicates the restoration progress of the bell towers, for each bell tower we fix, a manta will appear out of the clouds and fly around the village until all three towers are fixed.” 

“When the final bell tower is restored, a bridge of birds can be seen flying to the temple from the platform while the mantas bring skykids up to the floating island!” Erza explained then led his friends to the island on the left.

They landed in front of a door, Albedo and Alice were puzzled about the mechanisms until their veteran friends explained how to open the doors.

“This door is a 2-people door, which means two skykids must light up the blue nodes on each side to activate the door to open,” Farhan said while standing behind the duo, beckoning them to open it by themselves. 

They lit the nodes at the same time and watched the bar go up to the diamonds at the top before the doors opened, leading to a spirit and a winged light beside it. After retrieving the light, Albedo and Alice activated the spirit core and listened to Ezra’s narration.

“The spirit you’re reliving at the moment is the one with pigtails, they were one of the craftsmen who built the bell towers in the village of Daylight Prairie. They were lifting the newly made bells out of the storage room and took a short break outside with their companion since the bells were heavy as they were made out of gold.”

“After their break, they continued to carry the bell up to the unfinished tower. The spirit’s companion placed the new bell onto the tower and waited for the bell to chime. The bell started to spin slowly bit by bit before spinning without stopping and chimed. The spirit clapped their hands to celebrate the successful installation of the bell. And here you have the clap emote!” 

The troupe clapped their hands as the spirit went to the temple and had their arrival welcomed by the temple bells. Then, they started to burn the darkness plants on the bell before moving onto the candles that activate the bell to chime and attract a manta.

The manta node on the bell tower lit up as a manta flew out of the clouds and patrolled the village. 

“The first tower is fixed, now let’s head on to the middle island!” Ezra called before flying to the second spirit kneeling near the docks. 

“This spirit is known to greet the passengers in every boat that passes through the village while cleaning the bells. Every morning, they will walk up to the bell towers and clean it, keeping an eye on merchant boats that might pass by the village and travel up to the temple.”

“Look! In their final memory, a boat passed by their bell tower, and the merchants even waved back to them!”

Albedo waved back at the spirit with Alice before activating the second bell tower and releasing another manta. Then, the veterans led them down the hill that leads to another door that requires teamwork to open, with a spirit waiting for them to relive.

“Here’s our third spirit, the sleepy carpenter! Even though their craftsmanship on bell towers are well known throughout the kingdom, their relations with the other villagers aren’t close because they spend most of their free time sleeping. When they finish a day’s work, they will put back their tools before going back to their bed and sleep.”

“Before we go to the third island, there is a winged light behind the workshop! Follow me, everyone!”

Another winged light is hidden behind the workshop, if Ezra didn’t mention it to them, they might not know its presence. 

The troupe then flew to the island on the right side of the village with the third bell tower waiting for them to be restored. A spirit was found in a small cave with butterflies flying around it.

“Besides making bells and building towers, the villagers also collect light energy from birds with nets and store them into pots! This spirit and their friend are in charge of carrying pots from the cave to the top of the hill, and then they use nets to catch light energy emitted from the birds that fly through the village. Despite light being unmeasurable by weight, there are occasions where the energy can be unexpectedly heavy for one to carry by a net and it’s hilarious to see someone almost falling for trying to carry a ball of light.” 

“Here you have the last spirit emote! Let’s head over to the bell tower and restore it!”

The candles of the third bell tower were lit up when all three towers suddenly went back to their former state and chimed simultaneously. A bridge of birds emerged out of the clouds and flew towards the direction of the temple, while the mantas stopped patrolling the village and started to fly around the birds as if they’re trying to wait for children to hop onto them and travel to the temple.

A call can be heard behind the bell tower, making Albedo turn his head and see the largest manta he has seen in his entire life flying towards them.

Before he could respond, his friends dragged him up to the manta’s back as the creature flew up to the temple.

“Look at the scenery behind us, everyone! Isn’t it beautiful?”  
“I love watching the village’s scenery from the manta’s back!”  
“Heads up, everyone. We are about to reach the temple and meet the elder.”

When they arrived in front of the temple pathway, everyone jumped off from the manta and patted it as it gave another call and flew back to the village.

Albedo raised his head to observe the entire structure of the temple, it was larger and more grand than the Isle temple and fairly decorated with flags and bells. There is also a bench on top of the temple, accompanied by a winged light standing next to it.

“Welcome to the Prairie Elder’s temple. But do not worry my friends, this Elder is particularly friendly and welcoming to the newcomers.”


	12. Ayin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has started for me so I can only upload once a week ;w;

Unlike the first temple, this one has no doors that needed to be unlocked, leaving an open passage for the inhabitants, resembling the open-heartedness of the Prairie Elder. Outside of the temple, a pond filled with crystal clear water can be seen under the bridge the troupe stood on, with several schools of fishes swimming in it. 

Another white bench was found facing the pond, perfect for chatting with a close friend while looking at the fishes at the same time. 

Under the cloudless sky and accompanied by pleasant weather, Daylight Prairie is indeed the perfect realm for all groups of children regardless of their experiences in traveling throughout the kingdom.

“Should we head in, my friends? It’s been a while since I have seen newcomers being in awe of the Prairie’s beauty.” Farhan said and let out a chuckle as Albedo regained his senses before following the veterans into the temple.

When the alchemist accustomed his sight in the dimly lit temple, he was surprised to see a small mountain of clay pots of various sizes surrounding the altar. He expected pots to be found in the temple but not as many from what he just saw.

The pots seemed to be sealed with some kind of unmeltable wax, and amongst the pile of pots, several small clusters of red candles are found in the narrow pathway that leads to the elder statue, providing a tiny source of light in the dark.

“You seemed shocked at the sight of the mountain of pots. This elder has a unique fascination for clay pots, although they do not shatter easily the sounds made when one accidentally kicks them can be annoying after a certain amount of time is spent in the temple.” Ezekiel lowered his voice as they got closer to the pots.

Albedo was curious about Ezekiel's sudden change in tone when he accidentally walked into a partially submerged pot, the knock creating a loud echo in the temple.

‘Ah...I can see why the hushed tones and potential annoyance after spending time in the temple…’

He then carefully lifted his foot from the hidden pot and stuck to the narrow path as the others lit the candle clusters and made their way to the statue. 

The statue was slightly shorter but broader than the previous elder’s. Instead of one, three unlit candles were seen on the altar. A ray of sunlight shined through the exit door, located at the top of the temple, illuminating the statue and soft patches of grass underneath it. 

A circle of white light appeared on the grass as the altar candles were lit, Albedo and Alice knelt in the circle with unison as the others stood around and watched them.

“You know what to do at this point, just clear your thoughts and wait for them to appear.” Farhan’s whisper travelled into the alchemist’s ears as he felt himself detaching from his mind and entering into an unknown subconscious.

The circle gradually disappeared and the blue orbs of the statue became gold. 

The Prairie Elder is present.

Albedo still had his eyes shut, waiting for the Prairie Elder to appear until he heard loud snoring near him. He wondered if he had entered the Elder’s subconscious or was still meditating in the temple so he opened his eyes.

He saw the Prairie Elder sleeping as they snored loudly and their belly rose then fell in rhythm. The mountain seemed a bit closer compared to the distance in the Isle Elder’s subconscious earlier, something that resembles a building can be seen floating on the top of the summit, it seemed to be sucking the clouds around it and releasing them into the sky above. 

The Elder was hugging a giant clay pot as they slept, not knowing of the alchemist’s presence. Albedo slowly crept up to the Elder and placed a hand on the pot, a soft knock can be heard before the Elder suddenly woke up a few seconds later.

The pot toppled to the side and made a loud crash as the Prairie Elder rose and let out the largest yawn Albedo has ever seen.   
“Huh...What happened…” The Elder muttered to themselves as they looked at their robes regaining the gold hues, restoring the former beauty of the outfit. They glanced around and then saw Albedo standing in front of them.

“Ah! My utmost apologies for sleeping right in front of you, my child. That was very unjust of an Elder to do so...My name is Ayin, the Prairie Elder. My corresponding titles are “The Trader”, “Nurturer of Light Creatures” and “The Pot Collector”...You seem to be a fine child, would you be kind to let me know your name?” 

Albedo briefly introduced himself and explained his accidental arrival to the kingdom while Ayin stood with their arms folded and nodded.

“Well then, Albedo...First, I welcome you to the Kingdom of Sky! I hope Daleth wasn’t being too harsh on you since they are the gatekeeper and all...But I wonder how you manage to fly to my realm since I do not see a cape on your back.”

“I use wind gliders, they’re equivalent to the capes the children use to fly but we only use it during flights. We walk for most of the time…” Albedo explained as he pulled out the wing gliders, leaving the Elder fascinated.

“Those designs are the most exquisite I have ever seen for eons!” Ayin then let out a sigh and their enthusiastic eyes were slowly replaced by a mixture of nostalgia and sadness.

“It’s been a while since I have seen something that reminds me of the past...Albedo, would you like to hear a story?” 

The alchemist looked up to the Elder and gave a slight nod. 

“I supposed Daleth had told you what happened to us and the aftermath ever since the explosion in the palace...To be honest, I never cared about being dead and unable to step out of my temple to look at the lively village below and creatures playing in the sky with the children…I was rather relieved that most of the children were safe since the Heavens took them away as soon the catastrophe occurred…”

“Back in the days long before the Elders started to divide into two factions, our kingdom was peaceful and harmonious...Children would host extravagant parties for the newborns, fireworks illuminate the realms and the light creatures of all sizes would swarm around my realm...It was a sight where I can never witness again…”

Ayin sighed and gave a bittersweet smile as they continued their story.

“When the explosion happened that day, it was rather a painless death since the impact was too fast for us to react...But the adults who were left behind...They were left behind by the heavens and can do nothing but to withstand the devastating effects...Soon, they started to perish one by one...countless factors contributed to their deaths...Polluted water...Lack of light resources...Countless creatures got corrupted and started to attack them...I wish I was the one who suffered a painful death...They did nothing wrong in the first place but it was foolish of me to wish for redemption, yes?”

The Elder then fixated their eyes on the lit candles on the altar as they scooped the flames and held them in their palms. A few moments later, a butterfly flew out of their hands as Ayin watched them fly around the room.

“Look at this beautiful butterfly...It’s one of my many creations ever since I found my ability to make creatures out of light eons ago…” 

The butterfly then flew around Albedo, reminding him of the butterfly he drew before the accident happened.

‘Ayin...I am not alone for once…’

Ayin took out their clay pot and glanced at the butterfly resting on their shoulder, beckoning them to enter the pot before placing it on the altar.

On the other hand, the other children watched the temple exit fully open and another ray of sunlight shone through the altar. The pots began to tremble as hundreds of butterflies found their way out of the pots, decorating the empty temple with life.

When Albedo opened his eyes, he saw himself being surrounded by a swarm of yellow butterflies as his friends walked up to him and held his hand.

“I assume that the Prairie Elder has a pleasant chat with you?” Farhan asked before releasing a deep call to let the butterflies carry the troupe up to the exit.

“I suppose so...I realise we share so many similarities in terms of abilities…”

“That is indeed wonderful to hear from you, but setting our idle chit chats aside, we will need to be careful with the next realm.”

“Oh? Why is that so?” 

Albedo was puzzled, the first two realms seemed to be peaceful and safe, so why the sudden change in alertness?

“Well...Even though we are deemed to be immortal since we are unable to get hurt physically but if our capes are corrupted...we will lose light…”

“Be careful of the Forest’s rain.”


	13. Rain

The social area outside the Prairie temple consists of several benches around a fireplace, spirit gravestone scattered around the area, and giant trees providing shade from the sunlight. There are several trees hidden in the greyish-white clouds, leading to the next realm.

“This path leads to the forest clearing, be careful when flapping your wings since you might risk crashing into a tree,” Ezra said as he offered a hand to the alchemist who was gazing at the mountain behind the clouds.

The troupe jumped off the ledge and glided in the direction towards the forest, a bridge of birds flew above the clouds as they landed on the pathway in front of the gate towards the realm.

“The forest used to be a paradise for light creatures and a place for skykids to play hide and seek. However, things changed drastically after the destruction...You’ll see the reason why soon enough…” 

Farhan lit the button with his candle as everyone else watched the bar go up and activated the other node to open the door. 

They walked through the door and as soon as they entered the courtyard, a roar of thunder could be heard from the skies before the rain started to pour.

Raindrops fell onto their heads, capes starting to lose light as the troupe took a few steps back from the rain and stood under the roof of the entrance. 

“Brrr...It’s pretty cold here…” Alice barely got their words out of their mouth as they shivered and tried to warm themselves by huddling close to the taller veterans. 

Aidan brought the moth closer to him and wrapped his cape around them, trying to warm the shivering child.

“When the once-eternal sunny forest was surrounded by clouds that brought rain after the destruction, most of the inhabitants thought it was temporary...However, the rain never left the realm ever since, and one by one, the inhabitants were slowly killed by the corrupted darkness in the rain.” 

Ezra brought his hand out to the rain and tiny clouds of steam formed when several raindrops fell onto his hand. He then sighed and continued his explanation.

“At first, clouds of steam formed when they had contact with the rain. But as time passed, darkness plants slowly grew out of the affected parts and eventually killed the inhabitants by choking them.”

Albedo cannot help but feel a shudder in his spine. He has seen far more gruesome deaths in his partake of sword fights against monsters but to die by asphyxiation from a plant that grew out of one’s body just because they got stuck under the rain? It must be undoubtedly one of the saddest deaths.

Across the courtyard, there is a spirit kneeling under the roof, and a gravestone is found beside their silhouette.

‘I wonder if they have fallen victim to the rain…’ 

The alchemist thought as they walked under the sheltered part of the courtyard towards the spirit. They lit the core and watched the spirit relive its final memories under Ezra’s narration.

“The courtyard used to be a rest area for merchants who have travelled from other realms before continuing their journey into the forest and other realms. One of the former inhabitants of the Hidden Forest led the merchant who didn’t know about the rain and its consequences to a better shelter from the rain.”

“As you know that our light will slowly extinguish when exposed to darkness but our capes make sure we can survive for extended periods under the rain or darkness until we can recharge our energy by interacting with our friends or other children, or by standing beside sources of light.” 

“However, for the capeless spirits, a downpour can be their worst nightmare since it can kill them quickly if they are not able to reach a lantern or candle cluster within a short amount of time. Therefore, they must act fast when they hear a roar of thunder from the skies. As the duo ran and hid under the trees to minimize their chances of having extended contact with the corrupted raindrops, the rain grew from a drizzle to a heavy downpour.”

“Having no choice but to sprint to the nearest lantern under a tree, they ran under the rain and felt their limbs getting weaker as the rain drained their light. The inhabitant shivered beside the lantern when they realised the merchant was not beside them, they glanced around and saw a dark plant sprouting behind the tree. They did not make it…”

The spirit then flew in the direction of the Forest Temple, the bells chimed to welcome their arrival. The bells sounded solemn in contrast to the other temple bells’ loud and radiant chimes.

‘The bells sounded different in this realm...They reminded me of the church bells that chimed during a funeral back in Mondstadt…’ Albedo thought as he watched the spirit light fly past the gate in front of them.

The troupe spent a few minutes watching the rain, hoping the downpour might lessen after a while, but the rain didn’t show any signs of getting lighter.

“We should move on or else we aren’t able to head to the temple at this rate…” Ezra said as he gazed into the endless rain, waiting for the leader’s decision.

“Hmm...you have a point, Ezra. Well then...Everyone, let’s hold hands and try to not slip as we run to the gate together, alright?”

“If you happen to slip and accidentally let go of a hand, do not try to think you can survive the rain alone, just call out to me and we’ll deep call to recharge your light. This rain is more dangerous than you think, holding hands ensures our light is always recharged and it reduces the risk of being corrupted.” 

Everyone nodded as they swiftly formed a straight line by holding hands under the tree and ran towards the sheltered gate that leads to another area of Hidden Forest.

The gate opened after Mitzi lit the node, the pathway leading to the brook. Farhan led the troupe through the narrow gate before the gate closed after several seconds.


End file.
